


Four times Gwaine falsely assumed Arthur and Merlin were shagging (and one time they actually were)

by lovethatcoat



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 5 Times, Canon Era, M/M, POV Gwaine, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-06 13:07:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovethatcoat/pseuds/lovethatcoat
Summary: “Let me show you”, Arthur's voice sounded a bit exerted and breathy now, “a nice steady rhythm. Just like that.”Now, wait a minute! What exactly were they doing in there?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in canon times but playing fast and loose with the timeline.
> 
> Other chapters will be published soon when I finish the final edit.

It all started--like so many things--with Arthur out in the woods on a hunting trip with just Merlin as company. All seemed fine until they came running back into town. Gwaine noticed the commotion while browsing the market. He saw them sprint into the first house and just about manage to slam the door shut, before an arrow embedded itself deep into the wood from the outside.

It turned out, they’d been attacked by a dozen of the things, which could change course in mid-air and appeared to be primed for Arthur. Clearly sorcery of course. It was pure luck they had managed to make it back to the castle with just some superficial scratches to show on Arthur's skin. Well, extraordinary luck and the fact that the sorcerer hadn't perfected his enchantment yet, Gaius pronounced after careful examination of the arrow.

“However, it is unlikely this will hold out were it to happen a second time, Sire”, he said gravely at the hastily arranged council meeting. 

Uther, of course, took that very seriously and after some boring speech--or rather rant--about “the cowardly deviousness of sorcerers” and so on, he decided Arthur should be kept safe in the castle with a standing escort of two men. Also all the windows were to be boarded up. 

Arthur being grounded would have been funny if it hadn’t meant for Gwaine to be stranded inside with him. Here he was again, on guard duty with Percival outside the doors of Arthur’s chambers. Gwaine hated guard duty in the castle. Nothing but stone walls. Outside there was at least the minor chance of something interesting to look at. Even if it was just birds or clouds. Hell, he'd take a tree! Nothing was happening here. It must have been over an hour since a maid had carried past some laundry. It had been the cute dark haired one with the dimpled smile. The smile, however, had not been on display, as she'd hurried past without even noticing him. That was another problem with guard duty; you kind of turned into furniture in people's perception. That was so not on.

Gwaine sighed and shifted his weight around.

“Merlin, what _are_ you doing?” Arthur's haughty voice drifted out of the room.

How long was this afternoon going to last? He wondered if he could get Percival to help him pass the time somehow. It probably wouldn't work. That guy was totally fulfilled by doing his duty to the prince in any way it was needed. Big, steadfast lout, he thought fondly.

“Have you still not learned how to do this properly?” Arthur chided.

Gwaine remembered his first impression of the two of them. Merlin had been great, but Arthur had seemed like a right snobby berk. He had grown on him since then, but the way he sometimes treated Merlin still made him roll his eyes.

“You've got to grip it tighter!” Arthur ordered.

“No, not that tight!” he added in a strangled tone.

“Do it yourself if you think you can do it better!” Merlin's snippy reply came.

Gwaine grinned to himself. 

“Let me show you”, Arthur explained in his slightly condescending patient teacher tone, “a nice steady rhythm. Just like that,” his voice sounded a bit exerted and breathy now.

Now, wait a minute! What _exactly_ were they doing in there? 

“Nice, even strokes along the length of the whole shaft! Yes, Merlin, that's it!” Arthur's voice sounded warm and appreciative.

Gwaine glanced over at Percival. He was standing rigidly upright and staring straight ahead. Perfect guarding posture the likes of which Gwaine didn't even manage to adopt when he was trying. Not that he was trying often, but anyway, hadn’t Percy heard? Though… hang on… actually his ears looked very red. 

“God, Arthur, why is it so big?” Merlin whined.

“Now, now, I do recall you appreciating its length on occasion”, came Arthur's smug reply.

A muscle twitched in Percival's jaw.

“Now go and fetch the oil!” Arthur commanded.

Some rummaging in a cupboard could be heard from inside. Percival was still staring straight ahead. The blush had spread all the way to the collar of his armour.

“But Arthur, it will never fit in there!” Merlin objected worriedly.

There was sweat breaking out on Percival's forehead.

“See,” Arthur could be heard above squelchy noises, “if it's properly oiled, it slides in all the way easily,” he punctuated it with a slap.

That was what broke him. Percival turned wide, desperate eyes on Gwaine, his whole body tensed up. Sense of duty fighting a losing battle against the flight reflex.

Right at that moment, Arthur swept out of the room fully dressed with Merlin in tow also fully dressed and _carrying Arthur's biggest sword in a snugly fitting leather sheath._

Ahhh… so that was… that was...

Gwaine and Percival both had to lean on the wall for a beat, suddenly weak with relief before they could hurry after them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I can keep up posting this daily till the end :)

One morning a week later, Gwaine and Percival were on duty guarding Arthur again. They were supposed to pick him up at his chambers. In the corridor, they greeted Leon and Elyan who had guarded him during the night and were now headed for breakfast and then bed. Gwaine wouldn’t have minded a bit of that. 

Approaching the door, he could hear Arthur's voice in the familiar impatient tone, “Come on, Merlin, make a bit of an effort! You know my father expects me in court in five minutes.”

They stopped just outside the door. Usually, they would both have barged in, but the shock of last week seemed to linger a bit longer. Gwaine looked at Percival's hunched shoulders and took pity on him, volunteering to go in with a pat on his arm. Gwaine could handle this. He'd seen the world and enjoyed the odd tumble in the hay or elsewhere with fair maidens and handsome blokes. Percival was more innocent. He could kill a man with his bare hands--true--but in matters of the heart… well… 

Also, Arthur was supposed to go to his father soon, he would expect them to turn up and escort him. It would be fine.

It wasn't.

Arthur was standing next to the bed, arms akimbo. He had a strained look on his face and was biting his lower lip while looking down at Merlin. Merlin was on his knees on the rug in front of Arthur between his widely planted feet. Arthur's trousers were down till mid-thigh. Merlin's left hand was holding onto the waistband while just above some individual golden hairs caught the light. Gwaine wasn't sure it was a mercy Merlin's head was hiding Arthur's crotch from his sight or if it wasn't since it seemed pretty clear what he was doing down there. 

He should have knocked. Why hadn't he knocked?

He carefully withdrew and quietly closed the door. To Percival's questioning look he replied with some hand waving towards the general outside area, lost for words. Percival looked confused but apparently knew better than to press the issue. Gwaine just stood there trying very hard to avoid thinking about the implications of what he had just witnessed.

Some minutes later, Arthur came striding out chastising Merlin, “See? Now I am late, _Mer_ lin. Your job is to look after my wardrobe. And I have to point out, you're supposed to do it while I am _not_ wearing it!”

So that… that was? Ohhhhhhhh… ahhhhh...

Gwaine felt like the air had been let out of him. He had to lean on the wall once again until Percival pulled him away so they could follow Arthur's retreating complaining down the corridor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, didn't manage to update yesterday, got distracted by Eurovision (ughh jury votes, but kudos to Iceland for sending that aggrotech/IAMX act, and Australia for bringing the weirdness).

The next day, Gwaine was enjoying an afternoon stroll around the castle grounds in the sunshine. The double guard on Arthur combined with the hunt for the sorcerer who had enchanted the arrows meant Gwaine didn’t get much free time these days. He was set on making the most of this afternoon--everyone being crowded up inside seemed to be getting to him. As he was passing by the back of the stables, he heard someone who sounded like Merlin groan loudly from the inside. 

Damn, was he in pain? 

Immediately, Gwaine rushed towards the back entrance. He knew horses--despite not usually meaning to--could be dangerous, especially in confined spaces like stable stalls. They were just so large and heavy and startled easily. And Merlin could be a bit clumsy sometimes.

He ran through the doorway, closed the door behind him and stopped, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light after the sunshine of the yard. Another groan drew his attention to the second stall on the right. What he saw, however, made him clamp his eyes shut and blindly backtrack the few steps out of the door. Unfortunately, the scene remained burned into his brain.

Merlin. 

And Arthur. 

Merlin and Arthur visible above the stall separation with one of Merlin's naked legs up over Arthur's shoulders. His head thrown back and eyes squeezed shut. His hands grabbing onto Arthur's shoulders, their upper bodies curiously fully dressed.

Gwaine leaned against the wall next to the door.

It had only been a split second before he had realized and closed his eyes, but that had been enough for him to catch the movement of Arthur pushing forward and Merlin opening his mouth on another moan, his hands tightening on Arthur's tunic. 

Gwaine's brain was playing the scene on loop helpfully.

“Ohhh god, Arthuuur”, Merlin could be heard faintly from the inside.

Gwaine shook himself. He shouldn't stay here. He should go. Yes. He would go.

He pushed himself off from the wall and started walking towards his quarters because that had become quite an automatic journey at this point. When he rounded the front entrance of the stables, he greeted Leon and Elyan absentmindedly. Halfway across the yard he stopped, deciding the tavern would be an even better destination. Clearly he needed a distraction. 

Yes. Good plan. Tavern.

***

Gwaine awoke. He lay face down in something scratchy and poky and smelling of straw. It was probably straw. He forced his uncooperative eyes open and confirmed. Yes. Straw. He closed them again. Damn, he felt like he'd fallen off a cart last night. Wow.

Crap, it was probably midmorning already and Arthur was always pissy if you turned up late for drill. Arthur. His foggy mind conjured up the loop of Arthur and Merlin getting it on in the stables. Ah. So that had happened. _Wow_. He groaned and turned onto his back.

Somehow, he managed to get going and eventually arrived to the drill. Due to the lock-down they were practising in the great hall with all the furniture moved to the walls or outside. Arthur was in a great mood today and let his lateness go after just a few humorous comments. Fortunately, a large part of the drill involved Arthur demonstrating an involved new sequence of fighting moves with Lancelot, which the other knights could watch while relaxing. Only then they had to repeat it, but let's not talk about that.

By evening, Gwaine almost felt properly aligned with the world again. He was sitting in the great hall having dinner with the other knights. Uther was at a private dinner with a foreign diplomat and in his absence the behaviour in the great hall was just a bit more raucous. The stew was thick and delicious and the mood was great. Gwaine cheerfully raised his glass to Elyan and Lancelot on the other side of the table. Elyan gesticulated to a spot above his left ear. When Gwaine checked, he found yet another piece of straw to the entertainment of the rest of the knights.

Leon called over to the royal table, “Hey, Arthur! Merlin told me about last evening in the stables. Could you do it for me too?”

Gwaine choked on his stew and started coughing. 

_What?_ Leon, too? But… no! No way! Surely...

Percival slapped him on the back and helped dislodge the worst of it. Finally, he could breathe again. 

As Gwaine was wiping his teary eyes, Arthur dropped onto the bench between Gwaine and Leon. Arthur turned to Leon and explained, “The stretch I showed to Merlin is really great for tight muscles at the back of your thigh, do you have that too?”

Gwaine had just taken a sip of his beer to help wash it all down and immediately inhaled it instead. Now both Percival and Arthur were slapping his back. Percy even continued rubbing his back comfortingly after he'd stopped coughing, looking concerned.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter probably not tomorrow due to work stuff, but should be up within a week.

After the last incident, Gwaine was wary about going to the stables and also Arthur’s rooms. He tended to stay well away even from the general area of the yard. Furthermore, he had managed to trade his shifts in the hope it would help him avoid any further weird and stressful situations. Lancelot had been willing to swap so that he could be off duty at the same time as Gwen.

During a strategic perusal of the kitchens Gwaine came across her up to her elbows in dough. 

“Hello dearest Guinevere, you look lovely this morning,” he opened, eliciting an amused smile.

“Ah, Gwaine, could you fetch Merlin for me? I'm trying out a recipe of his Mum’s which Morgana loved for her birthday and I'm not quite sure I remember the proving time right.”

“Yes, of course. I'm at your service,” he answered with a mock bow and a wink. “Do you know where he could be?”

“I think he has work to do in the stables this morning,” she replied.

Damn all the gods of the old religion! Ughhhhhhhhhh…

Well there was nothing for it. He was a fearless knight after all. A fearless knight who was crossing the yard at the most leisurely pace he could justify. 

Eventually, he ended up at the stable entrance anyway. He nodded to Lancelot and Percival who were standing guard outside. Great, so Arthur would be in there as well. He steeled himself and went inside. No upper bodies visible over the closest stall doors. That was good. He released a breath he'd been holding.

Then he heard Arthur's voice. He was speaking quietly and sincerely somewhere inside a closed stall to the left. Gwaine couldn't see him. He had to be crouched down somewhere among the horses or in an empty stall.

“I know I… I don't say it enough, but you _do_ know that I love you?”

Gwaine froze. His heart was beating so loudly he almost missed the next part.

“All these dangerous situations we've been in and you didn't even flinch. It… it means a lot to know I can rely on you whatever happens.”

Not quite loud enough unfortunately. Crap, this was worse than anything else. But somehow he wasn't able to move his legs to back away.

“I’m so lucky you came to me. Yesterday, there was this moment when the evening sun shone on your dark curls and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.”

Gwaine's nails were digging into his palms. 

Suddenly, he was brought out of his horrified stupor by Merlin stomping in from a side room carrying a horse brush and a bucket full of oats.

But… 

But if he was there who--

Merlin grinned and nodded at Gwaine and called, “Hey Arthur, I found the right brush after all!”

Arthur came round the side of his horse, “Ah thank you, Merlin.”

“So what brings you here, Gwaine?” Merlin asked.

“Huh?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand it's finished.
> 
> Thanks a lot for the kudos and encouraging comments so far! :))

Since Arthur wasn't leaving Camelot anymore, his attacker had apparently been tempted to sneak inside the castle and was apprehended surprisingly by Merlin of all people. It had been more of a freak accident, actually. Merlin had come across a stranger in one of the chambers on Arthur's floor. Startled, the stranger had bumped into a wardrobe and a very heavy, very old book which had been lying on top of it had tumbled down and hit him in the head, striking him unconscious. All Merlin had to do was shout for the guards. Upon searching the man, it turned out he carried more of the enchanted arrows which previously had been used to attack Arthur.

Anyway. The source of the threat had been eliminated so they could finally move more freely again. Arthur had immediately called for a celebratory hunting trip with Merlin and the knights. 

The next morning, the seven of them set out on their horses. Gwaine was glad to be out of the castle again. While they were riding through the forest to the west of Camelot, he took deep breaths of the fresh air and turned his face up towards the sun whenever a large enough gap between the trees allowed it to reach through.

They made camp in a nice forest clearing a short walk from a small lake. Arthur and Elyan were seeing to the horses. In the meantime, Lancelot, Percival, Leon and Gwaine were collecting dry wood for a fire and while doing so, they came across some rabbits, two of which they managed to shoot with their crossbows.

They brought them back to Merlin who had already started cleaning and preparing the vegetables they had brought with them. With the rabbits it would make a nice stew. Lancelot started skinning them and Leon started building the fire with the wood they already had while Percival and Gwaine went to look for some more. 

When they approached the clearing again their arms full of dry sticks, they saw Elyan and Arthur creeping into the clearing with full water bags at the ready. They were headed for Leon who was busy poking the fire with his back turned to his attackers.

Gwaine understood the situation immediately and gave Percival a nudge with his elbow. Then, he loudly launched into a retelling of that time he'd insulted the food at an inn to his table neighbour who had turned out to be the cook's brother and the events which had unfolded thereafter. They combined this with heavy footfalls and a bit of wood rattling, effectively covering up the slight sounds of Elyan and Arthur's sneaky approach. 

Arthur made eye contact with Merlin who was chopping vegetables on the other side of the fire from Leon and winked with a bright smile. Merlin rolled his eyes but couldn't hide a slight grin.

Just after Percival and Gwaine had dropped their wood next to Lancelot who was obliviously cutting the rabbit meat into chunks, Arthur and Elyan poured both water skins down Leon's back eliciting a high-pitched shriek. 

He jumped to his feet, shaking the water off and feinting an attack towards the perpetrators who had wisely retreated a few steps and were nearly rolling on the ground with laughter.

“Where did you even get such cold water?” Leon lamented, “and don't think I don't know you were in on that,” he added, turning on Gwaine and Percival.

“Whaaat? Look at those innocent eyes!” Gwaine exclaimed, pointing at Percival who grinned broadly.

“You totally helped,” Leon grumbled. “Alright, you can continue with the fire, I'll sit in the sun for a while, you tossers!”

Merlin wanted to go and look for some fresh herbs and Lancelot volunteered to go with him; officially to help him, but Gwaine suspected he just didn't want Merlin to wander around the woods alone. They were all still a bit on edge. So, Percival continued with the fire and Gwaine took over chopping the rabbit meat. In the meantime, Arthur and Elyan went to get some more water--this time actually for the horses.

“Hey little man,” Percival put a hand on Gwaine's shoulder, “do you think those are mushrooms?” He pointed towards the shadows under a fallen tree at the edge of the clearing. Gwaine craned his neck.

“Looks like it,” he replied while jumping to his feet. Great, that would make the stew even better. With Percival in tow he went to investigate. It turned out to be the common variety in these parts and quite a few of them. They brought them back and cleaned them with water from a waterskin which hadn't been misused. While Gwaine was chopping them, Merlin and Lancelot returned with some wild thyme.

Now that all that was left to do was stirring the pot, the knights left Merlin to it and went to sit with Leon in the sun. Soon, Arthur and Elyan joined them. The gentle wind was ruffling through Gwaine's hair and the sun was warming his shoulders. Life was good.

***

After the delicious meal, they lazed around in the sun some more except Leon who had noticed his skin taking on a pink tint. Arthur took this as a cue to put him on perfunctory guard duty. Gwaine took hold of the chainmail at Percival's neck and pulled him over to lay on his back next to him. The grass was tickling his neck and the sky was deep blue with a few clouds moving past slowly. It really was good being outside again. He had gone slightly loopy with everyone holed up in the castle recently. Soon, loud snores could be heard from Percival who was lying with his arms crossed over his chest.

Eventually, Gwaine got a bit bored and realized this was the perfect opportunity to get in some haircare time away from the others’ mocking comments. Being out traveling was no excuse to let your routine slip in Gwaine's opinion. Hell, he'd been on the road for most of his life. So he walked over and told Leon he was going for a bit of a stroll.

He followed the winding and overgrown path that ultimately led to the pond. Without this path, they probably wouldn't have noticed the pond. You had to descend into a narrow little valley, climb up the steep other side and then walk down a slight slope for a while. The pond would do nicely for washing out his hair later, but first he had to get the ointment in and let it work for a while. So what was he going to do in the meantime? 

Walking along the pond's edge, he surveyed his surroundings. He spotted bramble berry bushes up on a hill off to the side. And it looked like the berries might be ripe. Nice! He pushed through the dense undergrowth and climbed over rotting fallen tree trunks. There was a less rotten one right next to the biggest berry bush. On his final approach he had to avoid the thorny branches of the other bushes. It was more like one big sprawling thorny hedge covering most of the hill; sometimes flat to the ground and sometimes taller than he was. He picked a few berries along the way. They were definitely ripe. Well, except that last one. He winced at the sour taste.

As he settled down on his chosen fallen tree with lots of berries in easy reach, he heard voices approaching in the distance. Apparently some of the others were coming to the pond. He confirmed his position was sufficiently shielded from view so that he could continue to sit in peace. Then, he took out the small bottle of hair ointment from his pocket. He'd gotten a bottle first from some traveling merchant he'd met in a tavern and then it had taken a year after he ran out to happen across the guy again so that he could get the actual recipe for it. Gaius had provided him with some of the more obscure ingredients. It was mostly different kinds of plant oils and herbal extracts, which gave his luscious locks all the moisture and nutrients they needed. Or something. It definitely worked. 

He poured a bit out into his palm and started working it into his hair. While doing that he glanced through the branches down towards the lake. The voices had belonged to Merlin and Arthur who had just arrived at the pond. They were undressing. Yeah, swimming in the lake would be really nice later. He concentrated on getting the mixture really into the tips of the strands at the back of his head.

There was a lot of splashing and delighted giggling coming from the pond. 

He moved on first to the left, then to the right side and finally just kneaded the whole thing through a bit. After he was satisfied with the product distribution, he wrapped a piece of cloth around the oily mess on his head. 

He threw another glance down at the lake. It had gotten more quiet a while ago. Merlin was now reclining on a flat, smooth boulder at the edge of the water. He was leaning back on his elbows facing away from Gwaine at a slight angle. His right leg was thrown over Arthur's shoulder who was kneeling in the water bent over Merlin's middle and pushing the leg further up. 

Aha! It must be the hamstring stretch again! 

Gwaine wiped his oily hands on another piece of cloth and also wiped down the little bottle before putting it back into his pocket.

Merlin groaned loudly and gasped: “More!” He had his right hand tangled in Arthur's wet, dark golden strands and seemed to be pulling on them.

Gwaine shook his head to himself while he turned to the bush and picked the nearest berry. He had not been wrong in thinking Arthur a snobby prat when they first met. He certainly was that some of the time. But he also wasn't afraid to get his own hands dirty. And he certainly allowed the knights and particularly Merlin to take liberties with him which would have earned them severe punishment from any other highborn knob.

Gwaine popped the berry into his mouth and savoured the sweet taste. These were really good. He proceeded to pick all the berries in his reach, his fingers getting a dark pink tint from the juices. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It left a dark pink stain as well. He had to remember to wash his face later.

As he got up to move further along the berry bush, he looked back down to the pond. Arthur and Merlin had switched positions. Arthur was now sitting on the boulder facing away, though he was more upright, and Merlin was somehow on top of him and holding onto his shoulders. What sort of stretching technique this was supposed to be, Gwaine had no idea. 

Then Arthur put his right hand on Merlin's hip and pulled him in further and suddenly the image realigned itself in Gwaine's brain and he realized what they were doing. So far, Merlin had made only very slight movements with his hips which hadn't been immediately obvious to Gwaine, but now with Arthur's encouragement he really started… riding him. And before… that had been… _God_

Previously, during all the false alarms, Gwaine had always been quick to look away or trying his best to witness as little as he could, but somehow this time, he couldn't pull himself away.

He watched the play of muscles on Arthur's broad back when he pulled Merlin towards himself rhythmically. The way the half dry hair was sticking to their heads and standing up in weird tufts. Arthur's dark and lighter gold and Merlin's even darker than usual. Merlin was biting his lip. Arthur's hands were coming up to cradle Merlin's face, his thumbs gently stroking below Merlin's ridiculous cheekbones. Merlin was beaming meltingly at Arthur, actually pretty much the same way as after that business with the Fisher King, Gwaine realized. Merlin was leaning down for a kiss and Arthur was wrapping his arms around him, kissing along his jaw and down his elegant neck and nibbling at the point where it joins the shoulder. Merlin was slightly recoiling with a whine and Arthur was pulling him back in to kiss the spot with a breathless chuckle while Merlin was grinning idiotically.

All the while, Merlin was steadily moving on Arthur. His knees were bracketing Arthur's butt which was clenching and releasing with his slight upward thrusts. 

_Gwaine should stop watching._

Arthur nuzzled what sounded like “Hold on tight!” into the crook of Merlin's neck. He stood up unsteadily under Merlin's weight who had his arms and legs wrapped around him. Arthur turned around and put Merlin down on the boulder, bracing himself with his right arm and knee while the left hand cradled Merlin's head close to his shoulder.

Once Arthur was settled between Merlin's legs, he pushed forward but immediately stilled again when Merlin went, "Hnnnnnnngh it's dragging my whole spine over the stone, sorry." 

Arthur withdrew and pulled Merlin up with him. 

_No really, Gwaine should stop watching._

“Well then turn around for me!” Arthur told Merlin with his hands on Merlin's shoulders gently turning him and pushing him towards a higher boulder next to the one they'd used before, affording Gwaine a side-on view. Merlin bent forward and braced himself, Arthur following close behind so that Merlin's butt pushed right into his crotch. He caressed Merlin's sides, leant in to kiss his abused shoulder blades and rubbed up against him until Merlin grumbled, "Will you get on with it?!"

So Arthur did. He reached down and guided himself into Merlin. Merlin gasped and squeezed his eyes shut. Arthur grabbed onto Merlin's hips, drew back and pushed in again in an easy rhythm.

The quiet little voice in Gwaine's head which had been telling him to stop watching his mates have sex _for god's sake_ finally reached an unignorable level. Well, better late than never. He took half a step back, his calves meeting the log he'd been sitting on previously, and sat back down. He would still have been able to see the goings on at the pond through the undergrowth, but he was studiously looking at the thorny hedge in front of him instead. He could also hear quite a lot. Sighs, moans, skin slapping on skin--the whole lot.

Unfortunately, he'd picked this part of the hedge clean already, so he couldn't do much but sit there. He didn't dare to get up and move around the hedge, because he really didn't want to risk Arthur and Merlin hearing him now after all that. Going back to the camp was also out of the question due to this. Additionally, he still needed to wash his hair. So he was probably stuck here for a while yet. His scalp started itching a bit above his left ear as the ointment was drying out. He scratched it carefully through the cloth.

“Oh my god!” Percy's shocked voice rang over the pond followed by twin yelps and a splash down from the closer shore. Gwaine leaned forward on his perch and saw Percival standing on the side of the lake where the path came out of the trees. He'd already turned his back.

“I'll… I’ll just go back to the camp,” he announced loudly, his voice shaking slightly.


End file.
